The more hours of sunlight there are in a day, the more energy the panel produces: Energy = panel power x peak sunlight hours.

The angle of sunlight is important as the amount of energy received on a solar panel is highest when the sunlight is perpendicular to the panel and lowest when at a grazing angle. The sun’s angle is lowest in winter, so unless the panels are tilted steeply to compensate for this, winter solar panels receive significantly less light.

Winter brings snow covered panels and cloudier weather. When solar panels are covered with snow, they don’t make any power. Cloudy weather reduces sunlight intensity, in turn reducing the amount of energy produced.

The only benefit of winter conditions is that solar panels are more efficient the colder they are!

All these factors result in a significant reduction of energy during winter months. A rough rule of thumb is that wintertime production is about one third of summertime production while spring and fall production is about two thirds of summertime production.

snow covered solar panels – waiting for sunshine

Winter Q&A

Since it’s so cloudy in the winter, will my solar panels produce any electricity at all?

Yes, your solar system will produce power during cloudy weather. How much power depends on the degree of cloudiness, but even under solid cloudy skies, a solar array will produce between 10 — 30 percent of its power rating.

What if it snows?

Snow completely blocks the solar cells from receiving any sunlight; therefore, they produce no power when covered by snow.

There are strategies to deal with snow, such as mounting panels at steeper angles, but generally grid-tied solar panels are mounted flush with the roof slope, which is typically not very steep, so snow tends to linger.

The good news is that for grid-tied, net-metered systems, the goal is simply to produce the maximum amount of energy on an annual basis. Lower sloped arrays produce the most amount of energy over the year and will more than compensate for the impact that snow can have on production.

How do I remove snow from my system in the event of a big snow dump?

It is almost never a good idea to attempt to remove snow from an array; doing so will likely take a lot more energy, risk or expense than the value of the energy gained. Wait for the sun to come out and do the melting thing which tends to allow the snow to slide off quickly.

A lot of snow means heavy weight on the array and the roof connections. This is one of the critical considerations when designing the array structure and evaluating the ability of the roof to handle the array.

A lot of snow will mean a longer stretch of no production which may tempt owners to try to remove the snow. Other than a soft roof rake, there are no safe ways to remove snow from an array. Wait for a sunny day to melt the snow enough so it slides off.

These same considerations apply for flat roofs.

About the only time it’s worth trying to remove snow is for off-grid systems where daily energy production is critical. When the only energy you have is the energy you make, getting snow off the panels makes a big difference.

How do I minimize the risk of snow sliding off my panels in dangerous areas?

Snow guards and rail systems are one way to alleviate snow sliding off arrays. But these features can be unsightly or challenging to install on certain roofs.

Certain rail systems will accommodate snow clips that provide some holding purchase which tends to hold snow from all out avalanching and instead break apart progressively.

If possible, it is best to avoid installing solar arrays over sensitive areas or where people travel.

What effect does night and day temperature variance have on a solar system / solar panels?

Large night and day temperature shifts, especially in winter when the swings can be really large, create the most stress for a solar system. Solar panels are designed to handle these stresses and have proven themselves over many decades in the field. The electronic components in optimizers and micro-inverters (components of some solar systems), due to their myriad tiny soldered connections, are much more vulnerable to temperature swings than solar panels. (It is for this reason, we at IPS stay away from these devices except when dealing with very shady conditions where the decreased component reliability is worth the added production.)

To talk with one of our friendly technicians about solar for your home, contact us.

]]>http://solarips.com/2018/02/hey-theres-snow-on-my-solar-panels/feed/0Energy Independence is What I’m Aiming for!http://solarips.com/2018/02/energy-independence-is-what-im-aiming-for/
http://solarips.com/2018/02/energy-independence-is-what-im-aiming-for/#respondFri, 02 Feb 2018 16:17:01 +0000http://solarips.com/?p=6505Read More]]>Independent Power Systems recently installed a battery backup for Colorado customer, Mr. Woodson, who is motivated to ultimately get off fossil fuel-based power from Xcel Energy.

Woodson SunPower residential system & battery backup

Woodson has begun the process by installing a 30kWhr AGM battery and a 6800 watt inverter to couple to his 10.69kW SunPower solar system mounted on the east-west facing roof of his house.

The first part of his home’s electrical load that he wants to make independent of the grid is his EV (electric vehicle) charger, refrigerator, and freezer as well as multiple outlets and some lights.

What is notable about Woodson’s approach is that he desires to make use of all the solar power generated by his system rather than sending the extra power generated during the day to the grid via his net meter.

This will be accomplished by having the battery inverter system be used for powering his off-grid loads throughout the night, and then recharging the battery during the day via his solar system, which generates enough power on sunny days to not only charge the battery but also run the rest of his house and export to the grid. In this way, the only time his house will run on fossil fuel-generated electricity will be at night.

Over the course of a year, Woodson’s system will produce more energy than is consumed, netting a solar gain to be used by neighboring homes and earning Woodson credit with the utility. He will see how this works for the next year or so and then will consider adding more battery capacity with the goal to take his whole house off-grid!

We are are experts at battery backup and off-grid systems. Contact us today. A friendly IPS technician will be with you shortly.

As I started my graduate career at CU Boulder’s Masters of the Environment (MENV) program this past fall, I had a broad, yet shallow, range of experiences under my belt as the youngest person to ever be enrolled in the program. However, in the past few months, my journey has allowed me to develop my knowledge, skills, and dreams in ways I never thought were possible.

Within the Masters of the Environment Program, I am specializing in Renewable Energy. Why renewables? In undergrad, I majored in Environmental Studies. I took a few classes in energy, but never really developed a passion for it until I participated in a short-term study abroad program in Iceland and studied at the Iceland School of Energy.

This is where my journey began.

Iceland introduced me to renewable energy technology in hands-on and applicable ways I never could have gotten in a classroom. I was exposed to how renewables changed this remote island and provided it with economic viability and resiliency. It was too late for me to shift gears and become an engineer, so I decided to learn all that I could about the technology and fuse it with my studies in policy, economics, social justice, international development, and environmental issues to bridge the gap between the often-contradictory worlds of science and humanities.

The Masters of the Environment Program provided just the right interdisciplinary work that I was looking for in order for me to learn how to be the liaison for the renewable energy sector and, well, everyone else. The second component that drew me to the program was the Capstone Project.

The Capstone Project is the centerpiece of the MENV program. It is a year-long team project, focused on a subject of our choosing, completed in partnership with a public, private, or nonprofit institution. The goal is to get real-world, hands-on, applications-based experiences embedded within the context of an organization’s need and capacities.

With a very abstract vision of my career goals and The Capstone Project looming in front of me, I dove into how I could link my interests with a Capstone Project topic and eventually a career. I decided to choose a project that covered international development and disaster relief through clean energy. This topic essentially touched everything I was really passionate about. Additionally, two of my best friends in the program and the smartest people I know, Paige Rutten and Reed Crossley, were looking for exactly the same kind of project.

However, I had no idea how it would manifest.

I had a topic, I had a team, but no Capstone Partner…until the day I met Chris Bentley from Independent Power Systems.

While at a networking event for our program, my team and I had little hope for finding a partner who was willing to work on a project as ambitious as ours. We are three students in their twenties, I was straight out of undergrad, and we dreamed of saving disaster-stricken areas and the developing world with renewable energy? Good luck with that one.

But in spite of our fears of being shut down, we decided to approach prospective partners with complete honesty and fearlessness.

Chris Bentley was the first prospective partner that we approached. We expressed our interests and goals and he immediately started pulling out brochures and flyers! Independent Power Systems had a product that was perfect for rural and disaster areas called the Power Tower. Not only was this product impressive, Chris and his team were extremely enthusiastic about working with us!

Independent Power Systemshas been the perfect partner for us. Established in 1996, they are a locally owned renewable energy technology company and values integrity at all levels, safety, efficiency, and longevity of systems. They envision energy independence for Colorado and a world free from the expense and environmental impact of fossil fuels. We’ve been working extensively with Tony Boniface, Owner, CEO, and Founder; Chris Bentley, Renewable Energy Consultant; Yolanda Duperret, Director of Finance; and Ben Valley, Senior Technical Design Consultant to develop and launch this project.

The Technology

The Power Tower – combining wind, solar and battery storage – for grid-tied and off-grid applications

The Power Tower is a unique, all-in-one clean energy solution that combines wind, solar, and energy storage components to provide a resilient and reliable means of electricity generation. It is an off-grid 40-foot tall, 6ftx6ft foundation 5kW wind turbine/5 kW SunPower solar array/battery bank. It is the perfect solution for constant power, as there is virtually always wind or sunlight with backup battery power if needed. The tower tilts down for maintenance and resistance against high winds, hurricanes, and storms. Its transportability and synergy of design offer solutions to disaster relief, as well as issues in the developing world by allowing students to connect to the internet, hospitals to treat more patients in better conditions, refrigeration for preserving food, and clean power for homes, community centers, and businesses.

In October, Hurricane Maria’s disastrous effects on Puerto Rico were flooding the media and our project felt more relevant and urgent than ever. It was obvious that Puerto Rico would be where we would deploy the Power Tower and we went full speed ahead into discussions about the scope of our project and our goals.

Also around this time, I began working at Dream Tank as Chief of Staff, SDG Marketplace Liaison, and Coordinator Fellow. I never intended to have a job while completing my Masters degree or even do anything else except study. However, when I met Heidi Cuppari, our CEO, I was immediately captivated by her mission to ignite the creative genius in kids to solve the world’s biggest problems and there was no looking back.

I immediately thought back with nostalgia to how much my heart and soul was filled with joy and purpose when I worked as a mentor for underprivileged youth while I was in college. I worked with kids who had never had the resources to dream. Most of them had never even been believed in.

I began to imagine what it would be like if every kid that I had the joy of mentoring was told they could dream. What if every kid all over the world was empowered to dream? What if they were given the resources and told that they could not only rise above their own worlds, but save the world for every single one of us?

This was the moment that I decided that I would do whatever it took to be a part of Dream Tank.

As our Capstone Project developed, I completed my first job as a liaison for renewable energy and the rest of the world. While talking with Heidi about my project for the first time, she had just spoken with our new board member, Elena Hernandez, who grew up in Puerto Rico and had presented Heidi with the idea of bringing Dream Tank to Puerto Rico to help innovate the redesign of the island. It was then that we realized that magic was happening with the alignment of our projects at precisely the same time, and we jointly wrote up a plan to incorporate Dream Tank as a collaborator by launching a Dream Tank Sister City in Puerto Rico.

All of a sudden, our Capstone Project became so much bigger, influential, and impactful. Another layer of resiliency, community engagement, and sustainable development was added when we decided to engage the youth of Puerto Rico. Dream Tank is all about empowering youth, and here are three millennials launching their first venture to empower youth in Puerto Rico!

We are now ready to ignite our millennial power

Our project spans multiple areas of impact: disaster relief, social resilience, community resilience, climate change solutions, & sustainability at every level of deployment and establishment. At this time, we have defined our project goals and determined the impact that it could have. We are ready to move forward with Phase One as soon as funding is secured.

As we begin to choose a site for the Power Tower, we have determined preliminary impact numbers based on specific locations and potential school partnerships. With this project, we have the ability to impact up to 99,370 Puerto Ricans with a single Power Tower and potentially up to 197,278 Puerto Ricans through our Phase 3 of building a microgrid.

We will:

Identify an area most appropriate and in need of resiliency and clean energy. Specific siting is to be determined based on need and impact, but we are anticipating deployment near and in partnership with a school in Puerto Rico.

Deploy and assemble a single Power Tower (an all-in-one wind plus solar solution) in Puerto Rico with the potential to deploy more, establishing a microgrid. This component will lead the initiative to provide Puerto Rico with more resilient energy solutions in a space that is now ideal for distributed generation using clean energy sources. Being that it is an island, Puerto Rico is more likely to experience the brunt of the detrimental effects of the global climate crisis, particularly with the increasingly severe storms that frequent the region. This further emphasizes the need for greater resiliency in Puerto Rico, especially at the local level. The Power Tower is a one-time cost for a lifetime of clean energy as it requires low operation and maintenance costs and minimal manpower for upkeep.

The first Power Tower will be sent to Puerto Rico in a shipping container which will then be remodeled into a space powered by clean energy that can be utilized by the local community.

Launch Dream Tank Puerto Rico in the Power Tower’s remodeled shipping container for local citizens to create their own disaster relief solutions. The center, powered by the state-of-the-art Power Tower, offers educational opportunities for local children and the community at large to get hands-on experience with an off-grid system.

Partner with local schools and identify our first Puerto Rican DreamMakers who will most benefit from Dream Tank programs and be empowered to launch their dreams and design their future.

Co-create a customized program with a heavier focus on Think Tank aspects with design challenges to help local kids come up with their own solutions for sustainable disaster recovery so they can dream and design a community that addresses the Sustainable Development Goals and a system for all to thrive. Given the design challenges around distributed generation and the use of microgrids, we anticipate the center will also provide an interactive means to communicate the need for improved energy efficiency measures and responsible resource management. This also offers an opportunity for new Puerto Rican jobs and local economic resiliency.

Invite Boulder kids and teens, along with other students in the Dream Tank community and beyond, to connect with the new Dream Tank in Puerto Rico and learn, problem-solve, and collaborate together to help each other in their communities. We feel this will result in empowerment, leadership, and positively impact both communities through building confidence in youth and breeding a new generation of globally minded youth leaders.

Have the data to be able to power more locations, in Puerto Rico and beyond, with the Power Tower and Power Tower microgrids for entities such as schools, hospitals, homes, industrial buildings, offices, etc. A microgrid community of Power Towers is key for resiliency and energy security as it would be independent of the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA), customizable to a community’s specific grid needs, and unaffected by the loss of power to the island’s primary grid resultant from future disasters. This off-grid and renewable source of energy is not simply a source of power, it is the key to energy security, community & climate change resilience, and unlocking the genius of kids in low socioeconomic communities.

Have a scalable model for all futureoutreach, humanitarian, and disaster relief efforts that will transform communities through the success of this project.

The Team

Paige Ruttenis in the Renewable & Sustainable Energy specialization at CU Boulder’s Masters of the Environment program. Paige received her undergraduate degree from the University of California – Santa Barbara, majoring in Biological Sciences. She worked for many years in an academic laboratory researching the environmental implications of nanotechnology, focusing on aquatic ecosystems, and her work has been published in Environmental Science and Technology.

Reed Crossley is in the Renewable & Sustainable Energy specialization at CU Boulder’s Masters of the Environment program. Reed received his undergraduate degree from the University of Texas at Austin, majoring in Astronomy and minoring in Mathematics and Aerospace Engineering. Reed has worked in a marketing capacity for a number of solar companies in Texas and has done marketing consultation with a number of other Solar Installers/Manufacturers across the U.S. Currently, he is working part-time at LOHAS Capital, an agency specializing in alternative financing and marketing strategies for health, sustainability, and social impact ventures. He also volunteers his time as the Marketing Coordinator for the Boulder Chapter of the Colorado Renewable Energy Society (BCRES).

Hannah Capshawis in the Renewable & Sustainable Energy specialization at CU Boulder’s Masters of the Environment program and is the Chief of Staff, SDG Marketplace Liaison, and Coordinator Fellow at Dream Tank in Boulder, Colorado. Hannah received her undergraduate degree in Environmental Studies with a focus on Environment and Human Behavior & Policy from Baylor University. After studying abroad at the Iceland School of Energy, she chose to pursue a career in renewable energy and act as a liaison for the various disciplines involved in transitioning to a world that is powered by 100% renewables.

Dream Tank, in the past 12 months, has launched 50 youth-led ventures, partnered with six local schools, connected students to 30+ organizations & local companies, and educated 600+ young people about social entrepreneurship. Now we are ready to go global. Starting with this pilot project, Dream Tank wants to ignite the entrepreneurial spirit in disaster and poverty-stricken areas all over the world by bringing in new and unheard voices. Puerto Rico will be Dream Tank’s very first Sister City and international location for programs, Think Tanks, and accelerators. Those involved include Heidi Cuppari, CEO; Elena Hernandez-Rosenblum, Board Member; Hannah Capshaw, Chief of Staff; and Nick Titus, Lucid Program Director.

Situated at the foot of the Rocky Mountains, watched over by the iconic Flatirons, Boulder, Colorado is a 21st century hub for forward thinking technologies and lifestyles. The city is committed to environmental stewardship as evidenced by its innovative solutions to climate change and its commitment to creating a healthier, more resilient and prosperous community.

And now there is Boulder Commons, a Net Zero Energy (NZE) building which at this very moment is coming into being. What does NZE mean? NZE buildings produce 100% of their energy needs on-site over a net annual basis. (Note: The energy use from the restaurant and cafe is not included in the NZE calculation.) Boulder Commons is slated to be the leading green building in Boulder County.

The Boulder Commons complex, comprised of a north and south building, will contain multiple green and innovative features using the latest technologies for ventilation and electricity generation, natural lighting and open work spaces. There will be both car share and bike share programs.

Solar panels are being installed on both the north and south buildings. Independent Power Systems (IPS) was selected for PV panel installation on both the roof and the east facade – yes, the wall!

Panel installation on the roof is complete. Any day now, installation will begin on the east facade. This will be a new undertaking for IPS. In fact, it has very rarely been done anywhere. (Updates will be provided … until completion of the project.)

In total, there will be 1,072 high-efficiency SunPower solar panels on the Boulder Commons roofs and 655 of the same type panels on the east facade of the south building. Annual energy production from the solar PV is estimated to be 511,367 kWh.

Among the tenants at Boulder Commons will be the Rocky Mountain Institute – dedicated to research and consulting in the general field of sustainability. Tenants won’t just be renting a space in this innovative building; they will be both inspired and incentivized to participate in reducing the energy footprint of the building. Bike and car share programs will be available for tenants.

Boulder Junction is the immediate neighborhood where Boulder Commons is situated. A pedestrian-oriented neighborhood, it is designed to be an alignment of community and commercial spaces. It includes bike paths and the new RTD transit station. Directly to the west of Boulder Commons is the the charming, multi-use Steel Yards neighborhood; nearby is the 29th Street Mall, and currently under construction is Google’s Rocky Mountain headquarters.

For updates on this project, see Independent Power Systems’ Facebook page.

On a recent brilliant Colorado blue sky day, I wended my way back into the hills above the Front Range town of Lyons … seeking the house of Independent Power Systems customer, Billy Shaddox.

The land back here is gorgeous—rounded red rocks, juniper trees, pinyon and ponderosa pines, brilliant wildflowers.

I pull up into a steep driveway. The garage door of the music studio is open. And there’s Billy strumming his guitar. The studio feels immediately inviting with its variety of musical instruments and painted walls, one a deep orange sunset hue, one a rich mountain sage.

Billy built this studio himself. Art adorns the walls – a poster of The Band – long an inspiration, Billy tells me …

… a brilliant Jimi Hendrix on velvet, a watercolor Billy did of a humpback whale. Sitting on a table is a beer fermentor.

Billy and his family – wife Yasmin Suarez Shaddox and two young sons, six and eight -have lived in this spot for the past two years. (They moved out a couple years ago from San Diego, CA.)

What initially motivated you to consider a PV system for your home … and what factors allowed you to move forward on going solar?

Yasmin and I had long wanted to get solar but for a time believed it would be too expensive. We were amazed to learn we *could* afford it.

It was a combination of factors that finally gave them the incentive to go solar. Billy lists:

… the recent election, we wanted to green our energy use, get off coal and hydro … and make a statement by choosing to spend our money this way … we felt a sense of urgency – now is the time … and the fact that tax incentives will be going away. (The 30% tax credit dwindles after 2019.)

I mean, look outside! It makes perfect sense to tap into this glorious sunshine!

Though thrilled to be making music in a solar powered music studio, Billy said he really doesn’t give the solar system much thought.

It just sits there and does its thing.

He can go online and check the performance of the system if he wishes.

They chose SunPower for their system recognizing its superior performance as a solar panel. And in response to why they chose Independent Power Systems to be their installer:

We wanted to work with a local company. We liked the real people at IPS.

*** *** ***

Billy grew up in a family of musicians. He still favors the guitar he inherited from his dad – a 1952 Martin 000-28. Its worn veneer attests to its musical adventures; its tone is still sweet and crisp.

To date Billy has recorded four albums, The Record Keeper being his latest. Earlier albums are I Melt, I Howl; Golden Fate, and Mellow Me.

Federal tax incentives designed to get businesses to convert to solar energy will sunset at the end of 2019—and a new initiative hopes to get as many Colorado dealers onto solar energy as possible before then.

The Colorado Solar Project 2020, which will begin its statewide launch on April 20, is a collaboration between the Colorado Automobile Dealers Association and two solar energy companies—SunPower Corp. of San Jose, California, and Independent Power Systems of Boulder, Colorado—to get dealerships in the state onto the solar grid.

The project’s director is Ryan Ferrero, a former Colorado Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Kia and Mazda dealer. He is also the founder and CEO of Ignyte Partners, a group that works side by side with veteran entrepreneurs to help their companies scale and flourish.

Ferrero said the time is right for dealers to convert their businesses to solar energy as costs continue to fall and incentives remain in place. A 2016 study by the U.S. Department of Energy found that installed prices for small, nonresidential solar systems dipped 7 percent in 2015, while larger systems fell 9 percent.

“We can’t just beat a drum and say this is good for the planet. We need it to be good for the wallet, too,” he said.

The project’s push comes about 20 months before federal tax credits are set to begin fading at the end of 2019. The Solar Investment Tax Credit, which was extended in 2015, will remain at 30 percent of the cost of a solar project for businesses through 2019 before progressively dropping off to 10 percent by 2022.

Ferrero said that while tax incentives provide dealerships with an extra incentive to move onto solar power, doing so would make sense even without the incentives.

Dealerships have “untapped” energy savings that could help a store’s bottom line by the equivalent of two or three more vehicles sold per month, Ferrero estimates. And he said dealerships could get a return on investment within three years—a timetable that has dropped significantly over the past several years.

Dealerships that inquire about solar energy through the project will receive a no-cost study of their energy costs and usage and the incentives at their disposal.

Ferrero said his pitch to dealers centers on helping them enhance their bottom line.

“If we make it easy and just get to the very raw facts, it’s attractive to dealers,” he said. “It’s a matter of how much more they want to know.”

Ferrero hopes to present the project’s results at the 2020 National Automobile Dealers Association convention, in hopes of spreading the project nationwide.

]]>http://solarips.com/2017/04/solar-power-push-is-on-for-colorado-auto-dealers-tax-incentives-heading-for-2020-sunset/feed/0Gateway Realty Makes Leaf Photosynthetic!http://solarips.com/2017/03/gateway-realty-makes-leaf-photosynthetic/
http://solarips.com/2017/03/gateway-realty-makes-leaf-photosynthetic/#respondTue, 28 Mar 2017 19:04:01 +0000http://solarips.com/?p=6215Read More]]>Dan Siddall, broker / owner of Lyons, CO Gateway Realty recently installed a 9.47kW solar system to power the business as well as to use clean renewable energy to charge the company vehicles, a Nissan Leaf and an electric golf cart. This is truly the definition of photosynthesis—turning sunlight into fuel.

Dan Siddall, owner of Gateway Realty, “fueling” up his Nissan Leaf.

Boulder-based Independent Power Systems (IPS) installed 30 SunPower 327 watt panels on Gateway Realty Group’s east- and west-facing roofs. This system will produce close to 100 percent of Gateway’s annual energy use, including “fueling” the car. This system is battery-backup ready and can provide power during a power outage, something solar systems that are exclusively grid-tied are not capable of doing.

IPS has been in business for over twenty years and is one of the most experienced and trusted installers of solar photovoltaic systems and batter backup for residential and commercial customers in Boulder County.

Siddall wanted to get as much solar as possible in order to also charge his Nissan Leaf car, enabling the already very efficient vehicle to be powered by carbon-free fuel. He will charge directly from the sun from morning through the afternoon with panels on the east- and west-facing rooftops.

The IRS is still offering the investment tax credit (ITC) on solar of 30 percent (available for residential and commercial) plus MACRS accelerated depreciation for business for the next two years. These tax incentives can help businesses install solar, creating immediate savings on electricity costs, plus saving thousands of dollars over the life of the system.

Diane Dandeneau, IPS sales director and Lyons resident explained, “There is a great opportunity for solar in Lyons, especially for businesses that can take advantage of accelerated depreciation and the tax credit. Dan Siddall is taking advantage of that, and as icing on the cake, Gateway received a Boulder County Solar Benefits grant for $9,470 that was available at the time.”

Dan Siddall added, “Although I have had the dream of a solar installation on my radar for a while, it wasn’t until Diane Dandeneau applied for the grant from Boulder County on my behalf and actually made it happen that I was able to make that dream a reality. I had met the owner of IPS and several of his crew at a demonstration on residential solar installations they gave in Lyons last year at a customer’s home, and was impressed with their knowledge and professionalism. I had also known Diane personally for several years, so when she went to work for IPS, everything fell into place. Between the Boulder County grant, the federal tax credit, the accelerated depreciation for businesses, the financing package, and the utility cost savings (all of which Dandeneau illustrated and / or arranged), it all made sense financially. I am very grateful to her and IPS for making this happen.”

]]>http://solarips.com/2017/03/gateway-realty-makes-leaf-photosynthetic/feed/0Greener Greenbacks Moving Through First Bank Headquarters, Lakewood, Coloradohttp://solarips.com/2017/03/greener-greenbacks-moving-through-first-bank-headquarters-lakewood-colorado/
http://solarips.com/2017/03/greener-greenbacks-moving-through-first-bank-headquarters-lakewood-colorado/#respondTue, 28 Mar 2017 17:21:33 +0000http://solarips.com/?p=6207Read More]]>Earlier this year IPS installed a 63kW solar system on the roof of the First Bank HQ building in Lakewood, CO, contributing to the building’s LEED certification / green footprint. A main challenge was getting 240 panels lifted to the roof of the five-story building. We had to close down a road for a few hours and deal with some windy conditions.

The project went smoothly.

63kW solar installation on roof of First Bank HQ in Lakewood, CO

Lifting solar panels to roof of First Bank HQ building

inverters – First Bank HQ solar system installation

]]>http://solarips.com/2017/03/greener-greenbacks-moving-through-first-bank-headquarters-lakewood-colorado/feed/0Solar Tracker Sends Power Back to the Grid … Even in Januaryhttp://solarips.com/2017/02/solar-tracker-sends-power-back-to-the-grid-even-in-january/
http://solarips.com/2017/02/solar-tracker-sends-power-back-to-the-grid-even-in-january/#respondTue, 21 Feb 2017 21:25:04 +0000http://solarips.com/?p=6087Read More]]>Because of the design of the Wallace’s Longmont, CO home, there was not sufficient roof area for panels to generate the power they wanted. After researching how a ground mount system might look and operate, they decided an AllEarth Solar dual-axis tracker was their best option.

6.9kW dual-axis AllEarth Solar tracker in snow

What prompted you to decide to invest in a solar PV system?

We built our passive solar home in 1979. For many years the house heated and cooled itself quite well. Slowly though, as daytime temperatures went up and nighttime temperatures stayed higher, we found that we just couldn’t cool the house sufficiently, so, after 38 years, we decided to add AC. We hated the idea of adding that much energy usage, so solar became an easy decision.

How long have you had your PV system? Does the system meet your expectations insofar as how it looks and operates?

Our system has only been up about a month, so we are still learning what it will do. So far, in January and February, we seem to be getting more days sending excess power back to the grid than not. It’s fun to watch the tracker operate during the day, and it has already demonstrated how it operates during adverse conditions like high winds and heavy snow. I’ve been impressed with the engineering.

I have to say the tracker unit it is big, but it does not look out of place on the back of our one-acre lot. Since it moves all day long, we are always seeing a different view.

Are you happy with IPS’s performance in working with you and delivering as you expected?

IPS has been great. They’ve been quick to answer all of our questions and have always been ready to help when needed. Their efficiency and quality of workmanship has been great.

What would you like to say to someone considering going solar?

Considering the political situation we see ourselves in, I think it’s imperative that people who care about the environment invest in these technologies. We owe it to our children and grandchildren to spend our time and money trying to save our planet.

6.9kW AllEarth Solar dual-axis tracker – back side

System overview –

6.9kW SunPower PV array

[20] SPR-345X SunPower panels

Annual production: 15,837 kWh

Brad and Margaret Wallace have lived in Colorado since the sixties. After graduating from the CU School of Architecture, Brad worked for some years designing and building passive solar homes in the Boulder region. He then changed professions and worked as a freelance camera and lighting operator for the broadcast and corporate world till his recent retirement. Margaret was a teacher from 1975 – 2015, both in local public and private schools.

To learn more about AllEarth Solar Trackers, click here; one of our solar specialists will promptly get in touch.